Sydney metal outfit Resist The Thought’s most recent release Sovereignty, out through Skull and Bones Records, demonstrates just how much Australian metal has stepped up. Previously, we would quietly walk in the shadow of the US or Europe, who for a long time held a trademark over quality metal. Sovereignty is such a big middle finger to that mindset that it’s not even funny. This is the ‘fuck on the floor and break shit’ type of metal, metal with balls that you can only make if you live in a country full of things that can kill you.

It takes about 4 seconds for opening track Legion to reach out from the speakers and smash your head into the desk. The technical, fast picking guitar and the relentless drumming seem to meander on their own coarse, before coming together right on top of you for the breakdowns, of which there are ample. The vocals match the tone and somewhat dark scales perfectly, making use of both his high register growl, and his lows.

The next stand-out track is Impending Infiltration. The slow but escalating introduction gives the important break between all the brutality, though not before it all drops into a massive breakdown. The pace of this track quickens and slows, demonstrating the band’s understanding of diversity. Being heavy as fuck all the time is great, but our ears do need to chill. Great track.

The following track, Resurrect the Reaper picks up where Impending Infiltration left off seamlessly. I’m not normally a fan of blast beats, but they seem to fit the vibe of this tune perfectly. About half way through, the guitars unleash with a tasty riff running over the top of hammering double kick, which totally steal the show in the breakdown shortly after.

Sermon of the Damned and Warbound are both well-produced tracks, though somewhat fall to the wayside when held up against the others. The guitar solo in Warbound was a masterful touch; if only it was a big longer!

Title track Sovereignty falls into the same category as those two, well at least that’s what I thought untiL now; an absolute shred-tacular solo comes out of a brutal breakdown, creating the most chaotic heavy-as climax of the album. A Plague Reborn is the finale track off the release and seems to spend three-and-a-half minutes building to the end with the guitars seeing out the whole album on their own.

What an awesome album! Brutal as hell, though it only rarely slows, and slams into us rather than coaxes us in… It’s a lot like sex without the foreplay: it’s still great, gets the job done and we’re probably going to come back for more.